Enviros Consulting Ltd has been commissioned by Kelda Group plc
(Kelda) toconduct an independent verification of the environment
section of thiswebsite. Our objective has been to verify claims
made, to assess thesystems for data collection and to seek
assurance regarding data on thesite. We were also asked to offer an
opinion on the completeness of theinformation.
This process started in April 2001 with a full verification of
theEnvironment Report and has continued with a number of interim
verificationsof new and updated sections.
A review of all the information and data presented on Kelda's
environmentpages was carried out in April 2004, to verify that all
the information iscomplete and accurate. Further interim
verifications will be conducted asappropriate when revisions are
made to the website.
Responsibilities
Kelda has the responsibility for preparation of the information
presentedon the corporate internet site and this statement
represents ourindependent opinion. We were not involved in any part
of the preparation ofthe material.
Verification Scope and Methodology
The verification has been conducted through interviews with
staffresponsible for originating the text and collating the data.
The text hasbeen discussed and substantiated, and the origins of
data sampled. We havenot visited any operational sites as part of
this process. The verificationexercise focussed on the environment
section of the report only.
The specific areas of the report which are new or have been changed
byKelda since our last verification visit are:
These sections have been verified in detail and reviewed for
completenessalongside the remaining data and text from the
Environment section ofKelda's web based report which has been
previously verified by Enviros.
This verification statement covers the whole of the Environment
section onKelda's website and supersedes any previous statements
issued by Enviros inrelation to the report.
Opinion
Accuracy of the Report
On the basis of the verification exercise, we are satisfied that
the dataand information provided is consistent with evidence
gathered during ourreview. We have found the systems for collecting
data to be robust.
Completeness of the Report
Although the report represents a fair and accurate reflection of
thecurrent activities and performance under the direct control of
YorkshireWater, it remains largely focused on Yorkshire Water's
activities (whichmakes up around 80% of Kelda), providing little
information on the environmental performance of other Kelda
subsidiaries..
Recommendations for future developments of environmental
reporting on Kelda's internet site
We welcome the clear corporate commitments relating to
environmentalperformance which are made by Kelda in their
environment policy. It isimportant that the reader can understand
how these commitments are beingdelivered across the group. The
report would therefore benefit from futuredevelopment to cover the
environmental performance of all of the KeldaGroup activities to
ensure completeness and transparency of the information presented.
Additional information on organisational structures
andresponsibilities for environmental management at a company and
group levelwould clarify arrangements in place for environmental
governance.
We commend Yorkshire Water's progress in achieving ISO14001
certificationfor it's Environmental Management System. Future
updates of the reportwould benefit from inclusion of additional
information on the objective andtargets set for environmental
improvement and how the key performanceindicators are linked to the
management programme developed under the EMS.
We welcome Yorkshire Water's decision to review the performance
indicatorsdetailed in the report to ensure they remain in line with
their integratedmanagement system and cover key sustainability.
Further discussion aroundprogress made against these indicators
would be beneficial. This couldinclude discussion of how the
environmental indicators link to the widersocial/ community and
economic issues for the company.
It may be useful to extend the now established and systematic EMS
frameworkfor gathering and reporting information on environmental
performance toother parts of the group to help progress reporting
of performancethroughout the business.
We support Kelda's commitment to regularly update their web-based
report asthis allows the audience to have access to more up to date
informationaround Kelda's performance and allows presentation of
environmental issuesthat are currently important to Kelda in
delivery of its activities.
The Environmental Advisory Panel assists Kelda in continuing
dialogue withits stakeholders. This will be important going forward
as a forum forKelda to review the corporate commitments it makes in
relation to itsenvironmental performance and to ensure that these
continue to be relevantto their activities and meet the needs of
the stakeholders.
We are pleased to see Kelda has moved towards a more
integratedSustainability report which significantly enhances the
completeness ofKelda's reporting and allows Kelda to present a
clearer understanding ofthe interactions between environmental,
social and economic issuesaffecting the business.
